


What Would the Captain Do?

by generalsleepy



Series: Look Out Axis! [3]
Category: Invaders (Marvel)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Leadership, Team Dynamics, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-17
Updated: 2012-11-17
Packaged: 2017-11-18 21:30:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/565502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/generalsleepy/pseuds/generalsleepy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Steve captured by the Germans, the rest of the Invaders are forced to acknowledge that none of them is the leader Captain America is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Would the Captain Do?

The Captain was gone. A well placed tranquilizer dart and a swarm of tiny drones, spitting out caustic smoke. The same drones that would be sweeping over Free Europe like a plague unless they got the Captain back.

Of course, they had to get him back anyway. Now, they had to do it soon.

The airship rattled like a tin can kicked across a street. Bucky was piloting, throwing the ship into wild curves and loops, in a frantic attempt to shake off the drones that grew thicker the further they got to the Professor's castle. The boy's teeth were gritted, his eyes narrowed in determination. Only the slight tremor in his shoulders revealed his fear.

Namor's eyes continually flicked over to him. He should trust Bucky; after all, it had been him who taught the boy to fly in the first place. He knew that Bucky could keep his cool without the Captain looking over his shoulder. Though, then again, things might be different if one day Steve Rogers didn't come back.

He looked back at the Human Torch. Jim's eyes were shining with an intensity that made it clear that the title handed down by Dr. Horton was a misnomer.

But, then again, Jim was the one worrying over the Captain and threatening bloody murder on anyone who laid a hand on him, while Namor was looking back at Torch and wondering whether or not he should let him take on the job of leader if they arrived to find Steve dead or broken. Namor wasn't one to judge who was human or inhuman.

"Are you ready?" Jim asked.

Namor nodded.

"Toro?"

"I'm ready to get Cap away from those Krauts, pappy. Any day."

"Just keep your eye on the mission. You're running interference, so that the two of us can get inside. That's all. Don't change up the plan."

"He knows what he has to do," Jim said. They met each other's gaze a moment, and Namor saw a dozen emotions race across the android's face: anger, the urge to protect, fear, uncertainty, instant self-doubt, and iron resolution. He wondered if Torch was the only one to feel that many contradictions at once, or if he simply had less practice in hiding it.

"All right," he said. "You would know." He jerked his head towards the airlock. "Now?"

Jim nodded.

"I'm as close to the castle as I can get," Bucky reported. "I'm going to have to let you out, whether you're ready or not. I'll try to shake the rest of these guys off, then rejoin the squadron to try and take out the shipment. I'll be at the rendevous in exactly an hour. I really hope you guys-" His teeth clicked shut. Namor saw the boy swallow before he went on. "Then, we can get Cap out of here and back to Allied lines."

"Yeah," Toro and Jim chorused. The doubt almost ever-present in Jim's artificially grown blue eyes didn't budge, however.

Namor gritted his teeth, and decided to do what he knew Cap would do- what made him their leader.

He clasped Jim's shoulder and forced eye contact. Firmly, he said, "We're going to get him out. You and I are going to get the Captain away from those scum. You're an idiot if you think otherwise for a second."

Jim blinked once, and then a lazy smile spread across his face. "I guess I am." He held Namor's arm a moment, then turned away at the sound of Toro opening up the hatch.

"Pappy?"

"Time to flame on, Toro!" With one last fierce grin, the Torches turned and ran out of the airship.

As Namor went to follow them, one niggling little thought remained fixed in his mind. He'd meant to talk to Torch like Cap would. What came out was what Namor wanted to say to Jim. It wasn't what he expected of himself, but it definitely wasn't Captain America.

He forced that bag of questions away as he leapt into the open air. Just one more reason they needed the Captain was back. Neither Jim nor Namor was a leader. He didn't know exactly what they were, but they needed someone to keep the team together while they did.


End file.
